[Solomon]

A simple tome, worn and beaten at the edges, is tucked away in a satchel and hidden either on someone's person or hidden in the drawer of a worn desk. Its leather cover has weathered many elements, cracked and burned, the faded stamp-marks of what once was a grand lion telling of its age. A recent modification has brought two loops onto a reinforced spine, simple leather bands acting as a strap to keep it in place on a belt or around someone's shoulder.

On first opening, there are a series of names, crossed out, underlined, scribbled, and marked away save for one.

Krom Maxwell Alexander Steven Carl Eliphas

What lies further inside, though, is where things get interesting. The first few pages have been torn out, one scrap left behind showing a crude sketch of a seemingly Human leg and foot. The first intact page, marks the first proper entry into this tome of oddities and anatomical studies.

Table of Contents
((More will be added with each entry))

Animals

• Badger
• Boar
• Brown Bear
• Wolf
• Panther

[Solomon]

Badger

Drawn in layers of media, there are three badgers shown at various states. A playful, lanky beast uses its nimble paws to pull at and play with a gleaming coin. One badger is stretched out in a Vitruvian Man style, displaying the limits of the major joints. And the third rodent has its hackles up, snarling and seems enraged by some unseen threat.
Spoiler

Small, furry, and very fast. Long, stout beasts with short fur and elongated, rounded snouts. These creatures have an evolutionary oddity: the mandibular condyle, the articulation surface, sink deep into cavities within the skull. Likely, this prevents them from dislocating their jaw and offers impressive strength for their bites. It does mean that they are limited to vertical and horizontal movements of the jaw, not offering any sort of rotational, twisting motions. Eating hard, round candies would be difficult.

Typically, these rodents are found underground or roaming around their burrows when the sun is down. Badgers adapt to their environmental fauna by allying with some hunting animals and can form cooperative clans. Most eat worms, insects, grubs, and eggs with the occasional root and fruit, predominantly whatever can be found through digging. However, when in an area filled with other small mammals, they can hunt for rabbits, chickens, snakes, and have the dexterity enough to kill and eat porcupines.

Badgers make for fine friends, especially ones who have been solitary for only a brief period of time. Once a bond has formed, this creature forms a territorial protectiveness of their companion, leading to especially good companions for druids. When their friend is attacked, a badger will often throw itself into battle with a ferocious rage and can lead to surprising victories against insurmountable odds.

Quick, nimble, and deeply adaptive, these rodents can be trained to manipulate mechanisms and reach into difficult, tight spaces. With their speed, and their tendency to become enraged while protecting what is important to them, they are capable fighters for short periods. However, either by being surprised or outlasted, the badger is not a very sturdy creature and can be easily killed.

With their diet, these rodents don't taste entirely different from a boar or wild pig. The fur can be an issue, especially if the badger has recently burrowed or found some putrid thing to roll itself in. Over all, though, they are lean and provide nearly half their weight in edible meat. Contaminated rodents are always a danger and should not be bitten, much less ingested.

[Solomon]

Boar

A singular boar stands, shown clear against a treeline. Its head is lowered, a forehoof drawn back, a puff of dust kicked up as it prepares to charge the viewer. Nostrils are flared and eyes have narrowed, snarling and ready to attack.
Spoiler

Many variations of this animal exists, though most carry similar traits. They are typically medium in size with dark brown hair. Sloped heads that end in flat snouts and shaggy manes topping a broad, muscular beast with protruding tusks make these animals easily identifiable from their domesticated kin. Their dense bones and massive muscles belie a strength that surpasses their size. In the winters, their coats grow long and coarse with an underlaying of short, downy fur.

Social animals, these creatures are often found in female-dominated gatherings called sounders. Boars typically communicate with three calls. Contact call, which is a grunt of varying intensity. Usually this shows contentment and standard communication. Alarm call, a warning cry when threatened. Similarly, boars will huff or screech when frightened. And finally, the combat call. These are high-pitched, piercing cries and often serve as the alarm for a vicious charge. Mating occurs in the final few months of a year, where the breeding period causes a development in armor, increased aggression and violence, and competition.

Their hard-headedness and savage nature can lend to a destructive animal and a poor pet. However, should one form a bond akin to the sounder that a boar would be used to, this animal can be a true friend. They are animated, more intelligent than they let on, and can even seek out hidden, buried mushrooms. When backed into a corner, or when you are in danger, this animal sees red and will charge at whatever dares to attack its group.

Their sheer size, especially of the head and tusks, leads to an impressive amount of mass that can move at high speeds. Their strength and violence is difficult to outlast, along with their impressive ability to sniff out danger and aid. Their legs, however, are short and thin which could lead to easily being toppled over. They cannot climb nor dig very well. All in all, this creature is best served to simple, straight-forward purposes.

In regards to their flavor, they are quite gamey. When slow-cooked, with the appropriate spices, boar meat can be extremely tender. Raw, however, produces an extreme dosage of iron and copper taste on the tongue. Due to the intermixing of muscle and fat, these can be greasy and easy to devour in one or two sessions.